| Marca Thesis Statements - and Topic Sentences a © Stating your opinion or thesis Clearly © Stating clear and strong topic sentences that support the thesis Strategies © Make yo
Trang 2| Marca Thesis Statements
- and Topic Sentences a
© Stating your opinion or thesis Clearly
© Stating clear and strong topic sentences that support the thesis
Strategies
© Make your thesis statement clear and concise
® For your thesis, do not write, “| agree with this opinion.” Restate the question when giving your opinion, such as “t agree that when people reach a certain age, they +4 should no longer be able to drive.” -
® Make your topic sentence a summary of all the points you will cover in the paragraph
® Write clear topic sentences that will naturally lead into the rest of the information in the paragraph
Example:
Weak topic sentence = | think cows are more useful than horses
Strong topic sentence ~> Cows are more useful than horses far two main reasons
Writing Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences 583 —-——-= `
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Thesis Statements
> Step 1
Read the following prompts and sample thesis statements Underline words in the thesis
statements that are also used in the prompts
Prompt 1:
Some people feel that celebrities are overpaid Other people think they deserve the money they earn Which is your opinion? Give specific reasons and examples to support
Thesis Statement 1:
Despite the popularity of certain celebrities, | feel that celebrities earn much more money than they
deserve for several reasons
Prompt 2:
If some tourists wanted to travel to one city in your nation, which city would you recommend for them to visit? Give specific reasons and examples to support your answer
Thesis Statement 2:
If tourists were to ask my opinion on which city in my nation to visit, | would suggest that they visit Los
Angeles because of three major attractions that can be found there -
t
| What are some qualities that you think a good role model should have? Give specific |
| yeasons and examples to support your answer
l
Thesis Statement 3:
In my opinion, good role models are people who are caring, likable, and above all, ethical
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Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Employees should always try to seek advancement at their jobs Why do you feel this way? Give specific reasons and
examples to support your answer , ,
hesis Statement 4:
agree that employees should always try to seek advancement at their jobs because of all the benefits
Step 2
ead the following prompts Decide if each prompt asks you for your experience or your opinion
hen write a thesis statement in response to each prompt
rompt 1:
How have your parents formed you into the person you are today? Give specific reasons
iand examples to support your answer,
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Does this question ask you to explain your opinion or your experience? Select one
opinion LÌ experience LỊ
“Thesis statement:
Prompt 2:
Do you feel that students.should be required to participate in physical education in
schools? Give specific reasons and examples to support your answer
Writing Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences 585
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Does this question ask you to explain your opinion or your experience? Select one ' :
opinion LÌ experience LÌ
Prompt 3:
| Some people prefer to take notes using a computer Others prefer to write out notes by
hand Which do you think is better? Give specific reasons and examples to.support your
answer
Does this question ask you to explain your opinion or your experience? Select one
opinion LÌ experience LÌ :
Prompt 4:
[ What was the most memorable place you have ever visited? Based on your experiences,
would you recommend this place to others? Give specific reasons and examples to support
your answer
Does this question ask you to explain your opinion or your experience? Select one
opinion [ | ” experience LÌ
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Topic Sentences -
\
Read the prompts and three sentences that could be used in a response to each prompt One
entence is a thesis statement, Another is the topic sentence of a body paragraph The last
entence is a reason, example, or detail used in a body paragraph Number the sentences as
- Thesis statement (1 Topic sentence - : (2) Reason, exampia, or detail (3) °
Prompt 1:
| Do you believe that followers are just as important as leaders? Give specific reasons and
examples to support your answer,
) For instance, the whole office of the president would be useless if there were not any people
) In my opinion, the leader needs his followers just as much as the followers need the leader
& } First of all, followers are important because without them, leaders would not have any power
Prompt 2:
some people feel that humans should be able to dig for oil anywhere, as long as it benefits
mankind Others believe that certain areas of and should be reserved for animal use
Which do you think is better? Give specific reasons and examples to support your
( ) imagine how many species we wollld lose if we dug for oil in important animal ecosystems
) First, we have a responsibility as humans to take care of our fellow creatures on the planet
( ) Though | realize that benefits aré lost by reserving certain aréas of land just for animal use, |
feel that this is the best course of action for several reasons
Prompt 3:
|
| Do you feel that computer games are good entertainment, or do you think that they are
a waste of time? Give specific reasons and examples to support your answer
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( ) [know that computer games can be abused, but | still feel that the advantages of computer
games are greater than the disadvantages - ( } Computer games provide a much needed escape from the hardships and stress of lifé’s dally
( }) For example, whenever | had a bad day as a child, | could simply turn on a computer game
and immediately feel better
Prompt 4:
In-your opinion, which do you think was the better invention: the automobile or the computer? Give specific reasons and examples to support your answer
( ) When the automobile was invented, people could travel long distances in a relatively short ”
amount of time
( ) Today, while computers allow us to communicate with other people, the automobile actually
lets us see them in person
( ) | believe that the automobile is definitely a better invention than the computer
> Step 2
Read the following prompts Complete the thesis statements Then provide three reasons or
examples that you wouid use to support each thesis in a response
Prompt 1 :
‘Do you believe that it is just as beneficial for children to lose at games as it is for them
to win? Give specific reasons and examples to support your answer
Thesis statement: It is my belief that losing at games
Reason/Example 1:
Reason/Example 2:
Choose one of the ideas you listed above Rewrite the idea as a full sentence that could be
used as the topic sentence of a body paragraph
Topic gentence: